Spellman's Scorecard: Not best of times for Allstate Arena

Mike Spellman says It hasn't been the best of weeks for Allstate Arena general manager Pat Nagle, who learned Thursday that DePaui will soon be playing its games in a new downtown arena.Associated Press

It hasn't been the best of weeks for Allstate Arena general manager Pat Nagle.

First, he discovers the new owner of the Chicago Rush has been accused of not paying the team's bills and thus, for the second time in recent years, the team is taken over by the league -- once again leaving the future of the franchise in limbo.

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And then it's announced Thursday that another Allstate tenant, DePaul, will soon be playing its games in a new downtown arena.

Stability, thy name is the Chicago Wolves.

Echo chamber:

There are a lot of questions about the new arena, and most of them have to do with financing, logistics, etc., so I'll leave those to real news reporters.

My main question about the proposed 10,000-seater is: When it's used for DePaul men's basketball games, will it come with a tarp large enough to cordon off the upper deck?

Yeah, that's mean, I know.

Hope they prove me wrong.

Oh, and also:

Hope they figure out a better way to get to and from that arena because that whole area is a cluster.

DePaul's got its arena …:

OK, Northwestern hoops, now you're on the clock.

What the?

The United Center hosted two conference semifinals featuring Chicago teams this week, one was Western, the other Eastern.

Beautiful.

The Byng's the thyng:

Nice to see Patrick Kane is a finalist for the Lady Byng Trophy, which goes to a player who "has exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability."

Well deserved.

Now …:

If there was a trophy for "somehow avoiding big hits along the boards," Kaner would be a shoo-in.

Amazing how he does that.

Question:

Is the white practice jersey hockey's version of the dunce cap?

Sharp-edged man:

Having a chip on his shoulder, being a man on a mission … however you want to describe it, that's how Patrick Sharp has played ever since his return from injury.

Hope it continues.

Tiger tracks:

Yeah, I was probably one of the very few rooting for Sergio on Sunday.

Meeting of the minds:

Gabe Carimi, say hello to Ian Stewart.

Preakness thought:

It's Orb.

Right?

Even if it's not:

In addition to being able to bet the Preakness, Arlington kicks off its own stakes season with three $150,000 Grade 3 races.

Not a bad way to spend a Saturday.

Oh, I noticed:

Kudos to AP for stationing employees in the parking lots on Mother's Day.

It made things run so much smoother.

Mascot madness:

Item: Benny the Bull topped the 2013 list of "America's Most Popular Sports Mascots," according to the annual survey of fans conducted by The Marketing Arm's Davie Brown Index.

Thought: What, has no one seen Myron Noodleman in action?

All together now:

Let us not speak of Derrick Rose for at least three months.

Did ya ever notice?

How two of the Cubs' core players -- Starlin Castro and Anthony Rizzo -- have the confounding habit of looking over their shoulders to watch the ball when running the bases instead of zeroing in on their coaches?

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